Wherever a company or brand interacts with a customer, in any form, there is an opportunity to develop loyalty. It is demonstrated again and again that one of the most effective ways to establish credibility in a community is through philanthropic outreach to key organizations. Donating time, merchandise and money to community organizations, events and charities goes a long way in building trust, and a partner organizations' expertise and willingness to service the community is critical to reaching audiences where they live and work. Plus, the strongest brand ambassadors are the people with the strongest ties to the community – the people who reflect and positively impact their communities through their actions, the people who consistently give of themselves.

Ethnic organizations form primarily because people feel a need for something they are not currently getting from mainstream organizations. They are working to meet those needs, and welcome outside help. There are so many creative ways to give back to a community, ways that unite both co-workers and customers in a meaningful way while doing good things, and at the same time, ways that can build profitability in the long-term. A study published last year by the National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC) listed the best practices used by Fortune 1000 companies to reach diverse communities and concluded four key findings:
1. Strategic planning is critical in developing outreach programs
2. Companies leverage Employee Advisory Committees to develop and implement outreach programs
3. Leaders are held accountable for community outreach planning and results as part of their performance reviews
4. Performance results enable companies to make future investment decisions

Companies are utilizing these practices, stepping up to the plate and finding more ways to engage with and enrich these communities.

Employee Volunteerism Sponsorship

- Companies like Timberland, IBM, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Thrivent Financial and countless others offer company-sponsored volunteer time that gives their employees paid leave to volunteer at local partner organizations and worthy projects that are chosen by the company’s multicultural committees/alliances or the employee’s themselves. Websites like www.volunteermatch.org have sprung up, allowing companies to provide their employees easy access to available volunteer opportunities, and the leave time offered varies from a few hours a month to three month sabbaticals! Well Fargo co-hosts Multicultural Heritage Awards each year that, among other things, honors companies who benefit multicultural organizations through employee volunteerism. The Merrill Lynch Classroom provides access to educational opportunities for at-risk and minority youth, and employee volunteers play a huge role in this program.

Job Training/Educational Alliances

- CVS Pharmacy partnered with the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services in Gulf-Coast area Texas and received a $315,405 job-training grant from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). These TWC grants are for programs that help individuals transition from public assistance back into the workforce, and CVS will hire 75 new employees as pharmacy technicians through this program.

- Wachovia Bank partnered with the YMCA in Mason, Tennessee to kick off its Multicultural Achievers Program with a $16,000 grant. The program is designed for elementary and high school age minorities to develop skills for a successful future such as English language tutoring, help with homework, career planning, field trips and more.

Partner Alliances

- Diageo, the leading premium spirits company, partners with The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) for the third year to launch their “Estamos Unidos con un Proposito (We Are United with a Purpose). Each of their brands such as Johnnie Walker Scotch and Jose Cuervo Tequila will donate a proceed of their sales, up to $250,000, to improve financial literacy among Latinos in the United States by enabling NCLR to provide free financial education seminars throughout their network of local organizations as well as a toll-free hotline where consumers can access financial resources.

- Another spirits company, Pernod Ricard, is sponsoring Espiritu de Progreso Latino through its leading brands which include Stolichnaya Vodka and Malibu Rum. This program provides job training and other skill-set programs for lower to middle income Hispanics who “need a boost on the professional ladder” through nonprofit organizations in New York and Los Angeles.

- Wal*Mart does their homework to ensure outreach to every community where they open a store. For example, a brand new superstore in Dearborn, Michigan not only offers Arabic and Spanish grocery items and has employees that speak those languages, they also partnered with local multicultural organizations such as the Arab-American National Museum and local charities and contributed over $28,000 in grants . . . all before the store even opened.

These companies all used aspects of the four key findings listed above to initiate successful community outreach programs, and the one thing they all have in common is they made sure to truly understand a group or partner organization’s goals so they could address them effectively. These are but a few of the myriad ways companies are reaching out and enriching their local ethnic communities. Community outreach/charitable giving is one of the best ways to connect if it is done sincerely. It’s an investment with a guaranteed gain of trust and goodwill.